Without You
by Karianasan
Summary: What happens when Velma wakes up, alone in her basement. Everyday/Slice of life. Finished, Enjoy!
1. Awakening

The world was dark.

Lifting her head up, Velma was slow to looking about. She was trying to wake up enough to remember how to use her eyes properly. Blinking one, then the other eye, she realized her glasses were slightly askew on her nose. Unfolding her arms, she seemed to had fallen asleep on them. Covering a yawn with one hand, she fixed her glasses with the other. Running her hand down her face, she noticed a slight dampness on it. Trying to stare at her fingers in the darkness, she finally woke up enough to remember that she was sitting right by a light.

Reaching with one hand, she fumbled around for a bit before her fingers found the little knob at the back of her light. Flinching against the sudden brightness, Velma was finally able to notice what she had done.

"Great... Daphne would kill to get a shot of me drooling on myself in my sleep. I can just see the news... Brain child, found drooling all over her arm as she saves the world. News at Eleven."

Grumbling to herself, she was happy her best friend was no where nearby to get a shot of her awkward awakening. (That and she hated cameras.) Nor was Shaggy nearby to make the 'world' comment. He had been taking to calling her papers to NASA, as saving the world. While some of her ideas had been improvements to things that will help people do things better, they were mostly concept ideas and nothing that would be made until many years later. But try explaining that to the laid back beatnik.

Twisting around in her chair, she wondered where the others were, anyway. Tilting her head slightly to the roof above her head, she listened for any movement. Waiting a few moments, she didn't hear any clear signs of the others. Curious, she pushed off her chair and got to her feet. Counting the beams that ran the ceiling, she wandered off in one direction to end up right under the kitchen. Turning her head almost sideways, she listened to the floor above her. Seconds ticked by, and still there was nothing.

"Hm... The guys must be out." Velma commented, not totally surprised. The guys weren't always in the kitchen, but did tend to be there when they were home. That or the living room. Turning on a heel, she looked at the beams again and made her way over to the under side of the living room. But that too was quiet.

"Maybe they went outside. Or for some reason, were upstairs." She guessed, not sure what they would be doing upstairs. But, she never knew.

Heading for the stairs, Velma made sure to turn off her light before going up the basement stairs. Counting the fifteen stairs out of habit, she made it to the top landing that meant she had reached the first floor. Peeking her head out, she listened for a second. Still not hearing anything, she moved out of the basement and out into the hallway. One way lead towards her own room, but the kitchen was closer. Making her way over to the door, she placed an ear to it. Hearing no movement, or flying food... She felt it safe to poke her head inside. The duo was no where to be found, but that might not mean too much. Pushing her way inside, she gave a bit of a look around.

The kitchen had been fully decked out to suit the hungry duo. Looking more like a professional kitchen then one that belonged to a normal house, as it had every kind of appliance imaginable. Especially a fully decked out dual oven, and build in grill/skillet in one wall. Heading over to it, Velma held her hand over the flat metal surface. Licking a finger, she tapped it upon the metal. It was warm, but not too much to burn her finger. Shifting her head in one direction, she noticed that the double sink nearby was a bit fuller then normal. But the counters were cleared off, and showed no signs of being used recently. So, she figured that they had been there earlier, but had left a while ago. They usually went for a walk after they ate a big meal, but saved the dishes for once they had come back.

"I wonder what time it is..." Peering out one of the windows, she couldn't really get a good look at where the sun was in the sky, nor had any of her usual markings to help her tell. So she cheated. Shooting a glance to the microwave (one of four that sat in the room), she found that it was getting later in the afternoon.

"Hm, it's 4:37. So was that the guys lunch lunch, or after midday lunch? Ugh, they need to make me a schedule for these kinds of movements." Rubbing her temple with one hand, she fought off a headache from trying to recall the two's eating habits. She could easily recall countless decimal points in the equation of Pi, but trying to keep track of Shaggy and Scooby's eating schedules was beyond her.

"Alright, so the guys are probably out... But where is Daph and Fred?"

She hadn't heard any traces of them either. Using the door that connected the kitchen to the dinning room, she moved towards the living room. Pushing the doors apart, she wandered into the main room of the house. But the TV was silent, and Daph's stereo set sat silent as well. Though unlike the kitchen, there was nothing she could tell the heat off of, in order to tell if it had been using recently. Maybe back in the way, but the new flat screens had very little heat input, in comparison. And the various chairs and couches that sat about the room around her, showed no clear sign that they had been there. Unlike when she tends to leave the living room suddenly; the others could easily tell, as Velma had a habit of putting her book in her favorite spot till she came back.

Running a hand along her favorite arm rest, next to her spot, she looked around the corner towards the second floor. She had made a circle on the first floor, coming back to the first hallway she had come upon after the basement. On one side was the kitchen and the basement stairs... On the other was her room, and the upstairs. Shaggy and Scooby's room, and a simple closet sat in the middle-ish of the hallway, but both were hardly used, so she didn't think to check there. Well, unless it had been night, and the guys were passed out till morning.

Grabbing the railing, Velma pulled herself upstairs and towards Fred and Daphne's rooms upstairs. Once upstairs, that floor seemed to have the same problem as the one below. No one was home. Fred's room, as usual, was immaculate. Nothing out of place, and very few clues that she might be able to get at a quick glance. Sure, she could easily find out various bits of information had she gone through it, but she didn't need to know that badly, where they had gone. Daphne's room was the total opposite, but it still didn't give her any clues. It just looked like the other woman had gotten into another argument with her blankets and sheets, and they lost. A pile on the floor told that tale. That and the one poor sheet, that had been thrown across the room in anger. Other then the mangled bed, the rest of the room was pretty clean. But the bed made it seem worse then it was.

"Looks like they aren't here either..." Velma pouted, wondering where they could have gone.

Looking towards the storage rooms that sat upstairs, she doubted anyone was in there. And a quick listen, didn't turn up anything either.

Heading downstairs, Velma didn't know what to do with herself. Looking up, she noticed her room. But this time, she noticed something off from her door that she didn't catch earlier. Moving towards it, she found a small note attached to it with some tape. Plucking the note off her door, she moved to the living room and her favorite spot.

Settling in the dip that she had made over many reading sessions, she got herself comfortable before looking the piece of paper over. The recognizable script on the front, was clearly Daphne's. The loops translated into her own name; Velma.

"Dear Velma." She spoke aloud, seeing as no one was around to really mind.

"Dear Velma. We all didn't want to bother you as you had been napping, so we left you this note if you woke up before anyone get's back."

"Yep, like' we'll be back later." Came some added scribble in green, which Velma chuckled at. Shaggy had stolen the paper to add his own words on the page. And it was clear to tell it was his, as Daphne wrote in purple, and Shaggy's wobbly writing was in green. It was also amusing to add in Shaggy s classic likes to her own speech. It sounded so natural for him, but her saying it aloud was funny. The green letters stopped, and the loopy purple took over to pick up where she had left off.

"Anyway, I ran into an old girlfriend from High School. I don't know if you remember Jewel? But she invited me to lunch, and I totally forgot about it, till she called to make sure I was coming."

Thinking about it, Velma tried to recall the name. But in High School, Velma had an easier time recalling the teachers names, then any students. She had made friends with them, easier then she had with any of her fellow students. It didn't help that she had jumped grades so much... so there was no one her own age in her class. Not that age made too much difference to her, but mental age... that was another story. And High School wasn't really full of that either.

"Me and like' Scoob, have to drop something off somewhere. And then we had plans to go on our walk. So we might be like' the first people back. I hope you have a good nap."

Shaggy interrupted Daphne's script again, making Velma smile. Only Shaggy would tell her to have a good nap. Not that the others didn't care, but he was an advocate for naps all around. While the two never really fell to the urge for a food coma, (Like she could be partial too; if the food had been particularly filling, and well made to please her pallet. Sure, she knew the particular compounds of food that would make one tend to be more susceptible to getting tired, but nothing was like a good meal and great company. That would easily make one content and sleepy.) There was nothing better then resting after a good meal. And to the duo, most meals were 'good' enough.

Shaking her head at her thoughts of the two, she turned back to the note to see the writing change again. It had to be Fred. Probably given a gel pen blue, he wrote his note in addition to the others.

"Brent and the guys invited me over. Something about watching some football they had recorded from the last game, or something. And they wanted me to come, knowing I probably missed it. Since everyone was occupied, I figured I would finally take them up on their offer. I probably won't be gone too long. Well, as long as the game takes."

Eyes widening, Velma wasn't sure what to think. She never really saw Fred for being a big Football fan. Sure, he did watch the game when Daphne did (who had her team favorites, and not all the time based on their color schemes... But mostly) but she normally found Daph far louder then the guys in the room. And Shaggy tended to come and watch as well, but he would watch anything that tended to require food as a must. Same for Scooby. If food was there, so was he.

"Well, darn." Velma found herself alone in the house. Leaning her head against the back of the couch, she stared at the ceiling.

"Daphne will probably gone most of the day... Depending on how many stories Jewel and her have to catch up on, and want to reminisce about. Shaggy and Scooby might be back soon, but at the same time might end up spending the rest of the day at the park for their walk. They'll probably be back at least for dinner. And Fred..."

Knotting her brows, she tried to recall how long a football game lasted. Her mind searched for the information, but came up with too many numbers. It all depended on if it was college, or professional... and how well the people played. Sometimes it could go on forever...

"Ok, Fred's lost for the rest of the evening. He might be back in time for dinner, but probably not. Sigh... Now what to do with myself."

Finding herself her only companion, she usually liked it that way. But there was something about waking up to a silent house, and made her uneasy. She was used to the noise, in the background. Daphne playing her music, or Fred watching one of his shows. And Shaggy and Scooby were always about and talking. It was that background noise, that she did some of her best thinking and work. Having become so used to them being there. But that wasn't the case now. The house felt a lot larger and emptier.

"Bah!"

Getting annoyed, she needed out. Hopping off the couch, she wandered to her room to grab the book she had been working on reading. Snatching it up, she made a beeline for the backyard. At least with the wind and the outside, it would give her more noise to stop reminding her that she was alone for the next while.

Closing the door behind her, she made her way over to her favorite spot in the backyard. The hammock. Stopping to look at it, it had become worn in all the right places. It had to have been one of her favorite purchases in the last while, as the whole gang seemed to enjoy it from time to time. The hardest, was when more then one person wanted it at that time. It lead to some crazy hammock battles in the past, that had ended up rather enjoyable memories. Though not all of them, with her as the victor.

Not wanting to lay all the way down, Velma chose to lay in it sideways. More like sitting in it, her feet dangled off the edge and barely avoided touching the ground. She thanked her short size, to letting her enjoy more of the hammock then the others, but thinking about the others made her sigh again. Everything was better when they were around... Not that she would ever admit that aloud. But she did miss them.

"Sigh..."


	2. Daphne's Blame

"VELMA!"

Pulling herself away from her book, Velma found her name being called. Perking up from the hammock, she noticed Daphne coming around the bend of the house. The red head had noticed her before she did, shouting out her friends name with a joy in her voice. Dropping her stuff near one of the trees, Daphne hopped straight into the hammock without warning. And also without warning, Daphne hugged Velma!

"I missed you!"

Blinking, Velma wasn't sure what to make of her friends sudden clinging. Not only was it awkward in the hammock, but Velma had still been trying to get her book mark in place when the other woman grabbed her.

"Daphne..." She squeaked out, though not totally unhappy for the company. "... Air. Please."

"Ah, sorry..." Daphne noticed the other woman struggling in her grip, and let her go. Gasping for air, Velma hammed it up as if she had been held a lot tighter then Daphne had actually done. But it wasn't missed on the other woman, who whapped her on the shoulder.

"Oh you... It's _all_ your fault!"

Pushing back a bit in the hammock, Daphne let Velma have a rather hearty hit to her arm. It caught the woman off guard, not expecting the exclamation nor the hit. Rubbing the sore spot, Velma narrowed her eyes at her friend for punching her.

"What was that for? What is my fault?"

Crossing her arms, Daphne sent a pout towards Velma. She scrunched up her face and sent an annoyed look at the confused brunette.

"It's all your fault. You ruined me! I had planned for a nice evening catching up with Jewel, and it didn't go like I had thought. And it's all _your _fault!"

Remembering the note, Velma recalled the name. Jewel, a friend from high school that Daphne knew. But the name didn't really ring a bell with her. So she wasn't sure who it exactly was, besides an old friend. And as smart as she was, Velma wasn't sure how she could have done something that would ruin the two meeting up together. But it seemed like she was going to need the whole story. Taking a deep breath in, she calmed herself down before speaking again.

"Alright, I might be at fault, but you need to give me the whole story for me to know why, it was my fault." And a part of her knew, that Daphne just really wanted to talk to her. There was a look in her eyes that held an eagerness for something. But what, Velma was hoping to figure out. And the best way, was letting Daphne tell her tale.

"You twisted my arm. I'll have to tell all!"

Velma gave that wiry grin, knowing that Daphne was being sarcastic at her. Knowing this, she gave the woman a shove, who playfully shoved back. Rocking the hammock that they both occupied.

"Jewel was one of the ladies I hung out with on occasion at lunch in High School. I ran into her one day when I was out shopping."

"Amazing that... You ran into her shopping..."

"Oh hush you. But she wanted to meet up for lunch and talk about the good old times. And she was paying, so I wasn't going to turn down a free meal. I blame Shaggy for that part..." Pausing for dramatic effect, she waited a few seconds before continuing.

"It all started out so well..."

"Oh no, here we go..." Velma couldn't help but add to the drama, which earned her another playful shove.

"Har har. Well, as I was saying, it all started out so well. She was just as bubbly as I remembered her back in High school. It didn't take long for us to sit down and start talking."

* * *

><p>"Earth to Daphne! Hello in there! Are you like even listening to me? I tell you about the hottest guy, like ever, and you don't even bat an eye. He was a total hottie in that movie and you didn't even seem like you cared."<p>

Tilting her head to one side, Jewel looked over at her companion with sigh of exasperation. They had been talking only a little bit and they had so much to catch up on, and first on her list was about the sexiest actor she had ever seen. Back in the day at the lunch table, it was what all the girls talked about. Especially who might have ended up on the cover of the local teen magazine. Jewel just moved up from magazines, to the tabloids and 'news' that she watched on tv. But nothing about what was actually going on in the world, but who was dating whom and what they were wearing.

"Sorry Jewel, I must be distracted today..."

Daphne hadn't expected to have her friend jump straight into talking about actors and such. She had really wanted to know how her friend was doing and what she had been up to since high school. There had been enough time since they last saw each other. Surely there had to be more to talk about, then some actor.

"Hottie aside, what have you been doing lately? Anything interesting in the life of Jewel Powuel?" Daphne tried to steer her companion back on topic.

"Oh, nothing much. I'm between jobs right now, but I hope to be an aspiring actress soon. Once my Modeling career takes off, I just know that they will be asking me to do some movies and junk." Grinning at her friend, she ran her hand threw her hair and gave it an expert flick. It had such a grace to it, that Daphne wondered if she had practiced the move countless times before to perfect it. Because it looked too rehearsed, to be something she didn't do on purpose.

"I just know that I'll be famous some day! Just like you are, only for doing something more important then just chasing some silly men in masks. Acting so much better then that. Not to brag, but just like that, it's a fact!"

Smiling, Jewel once again flipped her hair at Daphne. Ignoring the fact that she had just insulted her friend's profession, she just didn't seem bothered by it. But then again, Jewel hadn't been very bright in the first place, so Daphne pushed aside the insult. _Why get herself worked up over something like that?_

It looked like Jewel was about to say something, when the waitress came over. They had been handed their menus earlier, and now it was time to order. Daphne had been to this restaurant before, but last time she had been with the rest of the gang and Shaggy and Scooby had helped themselves to all of their food, that she hadn't gotten enough time to enjoy her meal. So this time, she had plans to enjoy what she had ordered last time and didn't get to eat it all. Plus the thing that Shaggy had ordered that time had looked good, but she had only been skilled enough to steal a bite before it was gone. Worse case, she could always bring what ever she didn't eat home in a doggy bag. The duo always were happy to get leftovers.

Opening her mouth, Daph was about to order when Jewel went first.

"I would like... A small side salad and a diet, caffeine free coke. Oh, and if you have it, I would like my croutons gluten free, or wheat if not." She gave the waitress a top to bottom, eye flick, before dismissing her with the menu. "Make sure they make my salad... Sodium free, kay? Ugh."

Giving the woman one more backhanded wave, she totally ignored the cross look that the waitress tried to suppress. Turning to Daphne the Waitress almost flinched as she took in her appearance. Expecting the worst, as she was sitting with Jewel, who had already treated her badly. And they looked similar, at least on the outside.

_Sodium free?_ Daphne wondered. _What, she doesn't want to have any salt in a salad? Who puts salt in their salad? _

Caught off guard by her own thoughts, she missed the look the waitress gave her when she had seen her for the first time. Not too pleased with how rude Jewel had been, she leaned close to lady as Jewel found her nails more entertaining then Daphne ordering. Keeping her voice low at first, to not draw her friends attention, she apologized and then ordered.

"Ah, sorry about my friend. I'll have the special, and one order of this, hold the dressing. And I would like a glass of root beer. Is Julio here? Is he working today? He always makes a killer Root beer. Please?" Politely passing the menu to the woman, Daphne tried to be as nice as she could, to make up for Jewel.

"T..Thanks." The woman stuttered, caught off guard by the apology. She took the menu before she recalled what Daphne had ordered for a drink. "Oh, yes. He is working today. I'll ask him."

"Ah, thanks. Tell him Daphne's asking for it, sans the garbage disposal. So it can be normal sized. Thanks."

Nodding her head, the waitress had other tables to take care of, so she left to get their order in and get back to work. Giving her a look, Jewel sighed.

"Always a softy for the working class." Jewel said rolling her eyes, giving a lingering look of disapproval in her direction. "I was a waitress once. It's not that hard to look sexy, and work. Not to brag, but I looked way better then her. Even on a bad day."

Daphne wanted to open her mouth, but her comment would be lost on her companion. Though she wasn't able to dwell upon it for too long, before Jewel spoke.

"Did you catch that big thing on the news yesterday? It was so _sad..._"

"Oh, are you talking about those whales that got beached on the shores of New Zealand? I found an article that had to do with that, that actually was kind of interesting about the logic behind beaching whales and why they might..." Daphne started, before she noticed Jewel.

Giving her a shocked look, Jewel shook her head.

"No, no... That's not what I was talking about at all. I meant the news that hot actor Johnny got himself sued by some company. Something about stealing their logo or something, but I think Johnny is so totally innocent and couldn't have stolen some company's ideas. He's always coming up with new things, it's just other people who wish they were as cool as him, and could think up those things like he can." Jewel sighed dreamily, obviously thinking of who ever this, actor was.

"Well, maybe there was something more to it..." Daphne started, trying not to put the person on a higher pedestal then needed. Famous actors were people too. And prone to doing things that might not be exactly a good thing to do.

"Bah. Johnny's perfect. Never mind. Let's talk about something more relevant to humanity. Like... **lipgloss!**"

* * *

><p>"Lipgloss?" Velma had to interrupt. Because the things that she was hearing, she was having a hard time believing.<p>

"I can't make this stuff up Velma, she truly said that. Relevant to humanity... Lipgloss." Daphne shook her head, making the Hammock rock with her movements. She had a hard time with it as much as Velma had.

"At the time, I just wanted to bury my face in my hands. And it just got worse. I felt like my brain was going to melt and come out of my ears. I totally blame you!"

"Blame me? For what?" With the random accusations, the female detective had no idea how the two concepts could have any correlation. One was her, and the other was a very dense sounding woman. Someone who never got out of high school, even though she graduated a long time ago.

"You broke me!" Daphne snorted, but really wasn't angry at Velma. She was obviously hamming it up. "I used to like the things she was talking about. Well, back in High School. Like Hot actors, and lipgloss. But hanging out with you, I find myself watching things like... _News_. And doing strange things, like '_reading_' and '_thinking_'. How dare you teach me such bad habits." Daphne cracked, adding a snicker at the end of her over dramatic rant. Finally, it hit Velma. Which earned Daphne a tight lipped, bemused smile and a rolling of her eyes.

"Oh yes." She spoke flatly, keeping her voice monotone. "I'm _such_ a bad influence. Making you think and read. Horrible! I've corrupted such a innocent youth to the perverted ways of education and thinking for oneself."

"Yes. And manners. I was so bad, being polite to that waitress. And its horrible that you taught me the percentage for proper tipping procedure."

That broke Velma. She just dissolved into laughter. "Me... Ha! That's rich. You taught _ME_ that percentage! I might know numbers like the back of my hand, but trying to figure the ratio of cost verse service was something you had to tell me about."

"Oh yeah. That was my fault." Daphne said, recalling it off handly like they had been talking normal the whole time. Which earned a shifted hammock bump from her companion. Resulting in a playful raspberry from the redhead.

"Yeah, yeah. But really. It was pretty bad... but then it got worse." Daphne sighed.

"Worse? What happened? Did you run into someone else from high school, just as stu... er... morality challenged as Jewel?" Velma had to catch herself before she was going to be rude. She didn't meant to be insulting, though it was hard to not be.

"Yeah, worse... The food arrived."

"What could be wrong with the food? Oh wait... Did the salad have Sodium? Snirk." Velma couldn't help but take a jab there. When Daphne had said that earlier with her retelling of the events, she had to hold in her comments. But since they had already been talking about it, she could voice her earlier thoughts.

"I figure she means salt. So that means she doesn't want to eat anything? Well, most things in nature that we eat. Sodium chloride is in a lot of natural things. Like Beets, milk and celery."

"Well, it wasn't so much what was wrong with the food... But what was wrong with me?" Daphne admitted, her eyes wandering to the bag that she had dropped before she had hopped into the hammock with Velma. "Milk, really?"

"... What's wrong with you?" Velma tried to process it. But then she remembered what Daphne liked to eat from there, and then made the connection with Jewel's order.

"_Oh... no..._Really?"

"Yeah, it was pretty bad." Daphne admitted.

"Oh man, what did she do?"

"When the food arrived, she almost lost it. I didn't think she would have a cow... well, over a cow. Well, a fake one. But that tofu-Beef pasta dish that Shaggy had last time, really looked good! And I couldn't tell that it wasn't real beef in first place, which made me want to try a whole thing of it. And worse, out came my order of the general appetizers platter that had enough fat and juicy oils to clog that woman's arteries just looking at it. It was great... What I had of it."

"What happened? You didn't walk out, because of that?"

"Well no, yes, but no. Not then. I tried to push it aside, but after eating for a bit in silence, she kinda went off on me. She started ranting on how I changed and that you guys were destroying our friendship. She blamed Shaggy for making me..." Pausing, she rolled her eyes at the thought. " Let myself go."

"Wait, she called you fat?" Velma arched an eyebrow over at her lean friend who fit easily next to her. She then looked back at herself. She could figure someone telling her that, but Daphne? This woman must have had her eyes on backwards.

"In every way, but saying that. Yeah. She said that shaggy must have put me up to it. With all his eating habits and all. Yeah, I have to eat more, just to give me more things to possibly eat before he gets to it. And I didn't plan to eat all of it there. I figured the guys would love some leftovers, and there might be some left for me to eat later if I got hungry. But Jewel wouldn't hear it. She also brought up Fred."

"Fred? What could she have said about him?"

"Oh... Don't get me started. It took me a lot of restraint not to pop her one right there. A lot of it was about being 'friends' for so long. That a grown woman shouldn't be living with a man, without something else going on. And that living with someone for more then six months, you're married to them." Daphne rolled her eyes.

"So, living together equals marriage?"

"Yeah. Apparently."

"Ah!"

Velma brought up her hands to her chest, clutching them together and batting her eyes at Daphne.

"Does that mean we're married all these years?" Her eyes turned from batting to a squinted glare in a second, before she continued with a mock huff. "...And you haven't bought me a ring? Hmph!"

Daphne brought up a hand to her face, not believing that Velma was joking like that. But it didn't last for too long, before she gave in. _In for a penny, in for a pound._Turning to Velma in the hammock, she placed her hand upon her heart and gave in to the theatrics. She moved to grasp Velma's clutched together hands, into her own. Then moved in to look deeply into her eyes.

"Yes Velma. I've been married to you all these years. I couldn't bring myself to claim you. I was ashamed at myself for not having the courage to propose. I would have, but I just haven't found a ring that suits your... your... Dang I can't think of a fancy enough word to describe your beauty."

"Beauty..." Velma broke character, to raise another eyebrow at Daphne.

"Yeah, beauty. Pretty is too plain. Hot isn't right. **Sexy!** Nah, sexy doesn't work."

"_S...sexy_?" Velma coughed out, not expecting Daphne to say that, which earned a laugh from her.

"Mmmmm, Velma needs a sexy ring. Got it." Daphne egged the other woman on, seeing how red she could make her companion. Which was pretty red. She figured that Velma would have matched her skirt, had she been wearing it.

"... C... Countenance." Velma finally was able to squeak out, trying to get herself under control. She had totally been at the mercy of her best friend, who knew exactly to embarrass the heck out of her. She knew all her buttons, after living with her so long. And what fun was knowing a person's buttons without occasionally poking them. Well, when it wasn't going to be bad.

"Ah, then we'll throw out sexy and get you a ring that matches your countenance... What ever that means. I'll have to look it up later. Ah, another thing Jewel would have thought to be a terrible idea. Getting me that dictionary, which I apparently don't use enough."

"But... you needed it for your writing. It wasn't just as a random, 'here, have a dictionary out-of-the-blue.' That would more like..."

"Something I would do for you?" Daphne added, smirking. Which earned a snort from the younger woman.

"Yeah, well. I'm weird. I don't count." Velma added honestly. While she knew many people that did like a good dictionary or encyclopedia for a birthday present, they weren't common folk you might bump into street. Heck, some didn't even see the sun for a long time.

"Weird or not, it was a thoughtful present. And that is all that matters to me." She reassured Velma, giving her hand she still had been holding, a reassuring squeeze.

"So, things got out of hand with me and Jewel. But thankfully, someone intervened. And for once, I was happy for those empty headed, but tight bunned men who live to flirt. All it took was a few cheesy pick up lines, and she was hooked. All I had to do, was make up some BS excuse, and she just waved me away. She also said something about having to meet up another day, to do this again. Yay!" Daphne said sarcastically before continuing. " I tipped the waitress and apologized for her to deal with them, and got my food packed up and headed home. And now you know... it's all your fault, and thank you for it."

Velma didn't know what to make of it all. Either way, she felt bad that Daphne had to put up with Jewel. And Velma sort of felt bad for her. She couldn't picture herself being stuck in that high school mentality, and not growing as a person. And she was happy that she had been a positive influence on Daphne. And she had to admit, Daphne had helped her out alot as well. She probably would have shut herself in with her projects, far more then she has with the red head's influence. Though she didn't want to admit it aloud... Not that she had too.

There was a silence between the two, as they were both lost in thought... before Daphne's stomach growled in response of her lack of food. The two looked down, before bursting into laughter.

"Have you had anything? Wanna share some greasy, fat laden onion rings and some artery clogging chicken tenders?" Daphne rolled off the hammock, and steadied the swinging canvas to let Velma get a better grip to free herself if she wanted to come. Thankful for Daphne's steady hand, Velma swung out of the hammock and got to her feet. Then she bowed to Daphne, stretching her hands out in front of her.

"That sounds really good. And if you have any left, I'll have to try that Tofu-beef."

"Yeah, but the beef will have to be nuked. It got kinda cold from the walk home, and our chat." Daphne went over and retrieved the crumbled paper bag that contained her goodies. She even managed to get a to-go cup, for her root beer. Which was _heavenly._

"Speaking of hot... How _tight_ were those..." Velma started, as Daphne got close enough and the two ladies headed towards the back, kitchen door.

"Velma!" Daphne exclaimed, surprised at her friends comments, but happy to hear that from her. Which earned an embarrassed look away.

"What, I meant the Italian **_bread _**they serve there... Did you bring any home?"

"Sure sure... I just picked up the hot guy and put him into the bag. Though I think he looked more Russian decent, then Italian. Here, let me pull him out."

"Daph!"

"What, I'm happy your interested in... _hot buns._" She said suggestively. Adding an eyebrow wiggle. "But what about the ones we have here? Fred looks _awfully_ cute when he wears those tight jeans..." Daphne let the bait, seeing if she would take it.

"... He doesn't _just_ look cute..." Velma got out, before she noticed the trap fall around her. "_Don'tyoudare_ **Blake!**"

"Oh Freeeeeeddy! You should hear what Velma just said..." Daphne called out, hitting the ground running as soon as the back door was open and dashing into the house. Velma was quick behind her.

_Maybe I was safer being alone... Nah._ Velma thought, as she chased the woman through the house. Her only comfort, was knowing that Fred wasn't home... _Yet._


	3. Football and Fred

"I'm home!"

Shouting out his arrival, he was surprised when no one else responded. Even though he knew the others had gone out, he had been gone most of the day and figured someone must have gotten back before him. At least Velma should have responded.

Pushing the front door open, he made sure to lock it behind him before moving on. Tucking a bag underneath one arm, he leaned against the wall to fight to get his shoes off. Kicking them aside, he moved more into the living room. It was then that his detective sense noticed something!

Darting his head back and forth, his keen eye noticed certain things amiss. From the tilt of the light shade at a abnormal angle... To the shift in the couch cushions on one side. And he didn't miss the coffee table being pushed slightly out of place. As he could see the little square impression that indicated where the leg of the table usually sat.

"...Looks like someone was chasing someone else. Moving from the dining room that way..." Fred mumbled to himself, pointing at the various clues, and trying to figure out the path in which someone had gone.

"Through the glass doors and pass the table there."

The dining room doors were slightly ajar, which made him assume that someone had come through it. Following that trail, he made the connection between the one couch cushion being bumped further out. And it seemed around, or at the same time the coffee table had been hit as well.

"And then around the corner a bit sharply... leading into the hallway."

Moving across the room, Fred shifted his package from under one arm, to the other. This allowed his right side to be able to right the lamp, as he came to the arch of the living room that is sat beside. Peering around the corner, the first floor hallway met his eyes. But it was quiet. Looking up the stairs, there didn't seem to be any visual evidence of traffic. But the polished wooden stairs would never normally leave any clues, unless something was unnaturally place upon them. Not ignoring the possibility, Fred pushed in further and found more obvious clues at the opening of Velma's room.

Chuckling, Fred instantly knew who was responsible for the slight shifting of the living room.

With bed spread and pillows scattered into the hallway, it could only lead to two main people. Daphne and Velma.

It seemed the girls had gotten into a friendly confrontation, (as it usually happened) and at some point in the chase ended up tossing pillows at each other from Velma's room. And if the conflict got too out of hand, the fight usually spread to other rooms. Walking a few steps back to the living room, he re-examined the room with his new evidence and found more clues.

Tossed across the room, two of the living room couch cushions sat in the front bay window that looked out to the front yard. Now normally, this wasn't something uncommon... But the placement gave it away. They had the same characteristics as a landed projectile cushion. Slumping down against the corners of the glass pane, gravity fought to rearrange the contents as it settled at an awkward angle.

This only made Fred snicker more. Velma would be proud.

_So where had the two ended up?_

Placing his free hand upon his chin, he tried to figure out exactly where they could have ended up. The living room and dining room were not it, as he was standing in the living room with views of the other room. And thinking back, he didn't hear any echoing conversation from upstairs, as he had leaned and looked up it. So he doubted they were there either. Velma's room was out of the question, since the woman herself would have cleaned up the evidence had she been around it long enough, so that really left only one other place.

Sniffing the air, he should have noticed the subtle smell. But since he had been clued into the ladies earlier, he didn't think to smell the air. (Which normally was what he first did to find Shaggy and Scooby.) Letting his nose guide him, he wandered down the hallway towards where the girls must be. Dodging around the scattered chew toys, (oddly enough, not the result of the chase from before.) Fred could hear muffled talking beyond the door as he got nearer.

_No wonder they couldn't hear me, they were talking loud enough I was probably drowned out. Heh._ Fred mused to himself, not blaming the girls for enjoying each other s company. Though he was a bit jealous that they were having so much fun, and he wasn't included. Even though he hadn't been home. But that was beside the point.

Bringing up a hand, he was about to push open the door when he paused. The ladies were having so much fun talking, how would he want to come in to interrupt them?

"Well, I could always come in all boisterous and loud..." He pondered aloud, leaning against the wall as he tried to figure out his plan of attack. Pushing the door open sharply, would certainly catch their attention. But would that really be a wise choice? Mulling the idea over a bit, he tried to make sure all the angles had been covered.

"Well, I would have to be careful not to throw the door open too far, or worry about damaging the door. The guys do enough to that poor door then it needs. So maybe not that."

Over the last few years, they had to buy at least three new doors for the kitchen. Most of that, being because of the energetic duo and their escapades. So Fred didn't want to have the unfortunate luck for making it four. So maybe the loud approach wasn't the best.

"Hmmmm. I could always peek in and see where they are?" He thought, but quickly shook his head at the notion. "But if I want to surprise them and they notice, that would break the whole point of peeking in... Unless I wanted to get caught, and then plan off of that."

Giving the new direction some though, he started to like the idea. It would then make the girls feel guilty, for leaving him out of their fun sounding conversation.

"Yeah... That works. I'll just peek my head and **WAH!**"

Unbeknownst to Fred, he had been talking loud enough to catch someone's attention. While he tried to work out his entrance, another force worked against him. Peeking from the other side, an eye widened as she noticed who was there. Without any warning, a hand shot out from the crack and roughly grabbed Fred by the collar, jerking him sharply inside the kitchen. Caught off guard, Fred had no choice but to be hauled into the room. Eyes shot open in surprise!

"D..D..DAPHNE!"

"Heh hee!

Dragging him further into the kitchen, Daphne finally released the bewildered man to stand on his own two feet. Skipping to where she had been eating, Daphne jumped into the beanbag that sat on the floor with flump. Apparently their earlier battles had led downstairs, and the ladies had brought up the unconventional chairs for their meal. Which didn't go unnoticed by Fred.

"What? We didn't want to eat in the dining room, and the chairs were too high up. So we improvised! Right Velma?"

Nudging her companion, the Brunette nodded as she tried to not swallow a handful of noodles she had been indulging herself on. Velma had known that Daphne was up to something when her head shot up like Scooby hearing someone with a treat in hand but she hadn't expected her friend to magically pluck Fred from outside the door. And the action, made her shovel in more noodles then she had been prepared for. So not wanting to speak with her mouth full, she just shook her head as she tried to get a handle on the food.

"Want to join us Freddie?" Daphne smiled sweetly, as if nothing had just happened. Patting the side of her own beanbag, as if to offer it for him to sit on. Daphne and Velma had pushed the two large bags together, so there actually was more space then the two ladies could take up by themselves. So he could easily fit without much trouble.

"Hahahahaha..."

Laughing aloud, it finally hit him why he had been having such a hard time hanging out with the guys earlier. As much as he had been having fun, there had been something missing. And that's because what he was looking for... Was right here.

Ignoring the looks from the two ladies at his outburst, he moved across the room and took up the offered seat. Half throwing himself at the chair, his impact shifted the other two ladies at the suddenness.

"Wah!"  
>"Freddie!"<p>

"Heh, Sorry." Fred apologized, with a grin on his face. Flipping both hands around the backs of the beanbags, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "Man! It's good to be home! Ahhhh!"

Sighing as he closed his eyes, this earned mirrored eyebrow raises from both ladies. They looked at him, then back up at each other, and then down to him again.

"Might we ask about why you seem so happy to see us?" Velma asked aloud, unsure about the answer she would get from him. Though this was strangely the second time someone had said they were happy to see her. Maybe it was just one of those days?

"And would you care for any chicken? I still have some left!" Daphne offered, distracting him from answering them right away. Sure, she wanted to know, but she wasn't going to be rude and eat in front of him without offering. Scooby taught her better than that.

"Oh, yeah. I'll take some but let me get my doggy bag!" Pushing off the bean bags, Fred scrambled to his feet and moved past the kitchen door. With Daphne surprising him, he had dropped his bag that he had been holding into the hallway while he had been dragged past. Plucking the bag from the floor, he pushed himself back through the door and joined the ladies again on the bean bag.

As Daphne passed him a plate of various artery clogging, breaded chicken-y goodness Fred tossed his bag at Velma. It was light, which caught Velma by surprise. Fiddling with the crumpled paper bag, she managed to get it open and squint at the contents. But it was the smell that hit her senses first.

"Is this… Popcorn?" Velma's eyes grew wide as she looked up at Fred.

"Yep. Isn't it amazing? We practically never get to have any in the house." Fred said with a grin, taking a big chomp out of the chicken that he had in hand.

"Really?" Shooting a hand over, Daphne plucked the bag from Velma's grip and shoved the other hand inside. Grasping small handful, she brought it up to stare at the sight.

"Wow… And it smells…" Pausing, Daphne closed her eyes and let her nose do the talking. Taking a deep breath in, she drank deeply into the heavenly smell of popcorn, butter and…

"Is that… Chedder?" Daphne asked, wide eyed at Fred before looking down at the slightly orange kernels in her hand.

"Yeah, the guys had a box of the stuff!" Fred said laughing, finding it amusing that the girls reacted in the same way he had earlier. With the two living vacuum cleaners in the house, no bowl of popcorn was safe! So he was happy that the guys weren't home, since they could have smelled his bag a mile away, and the girls wouldn't have been able to have any.

Shoving the handful into her mouth, Daphne sighed against the beautiful flavors bursting in her mouth. Like water to a thirsty person, food always tastes amazing after you haven't had it in a long time. But unlike the duo, Daphne was nice enough to share with Velma. Easily handing the bag back to her, after indulging in a few handfuls first.

"So… yum… Why are you happy to see us?" Daphne said; forgetting all normal human etiquette, and obeying the first rule of the duo- **Never Waste Food**- Daphne moved to lick her fingers clean. Normally she would be against this in public, but she was home and she couldn't care less. It had been ages since she had some good popcorn, and she was going to enjoy _it!_ That and Velma was doing it as well, but in a far more dainty manner. Which Daphne would kill to have on film, but knew she wouldn't have enough time to pull that off then.

Leaning back against the bean bags between the two ladies, Fred sighed contently and nibbled on the chicken he had as he told the story.

"So I was invited by the guys to go hand out. You know… Jake, Eric and the rest of the 'guys'. They apparently thought that I needed some 'man' time, to get my testosterone or something up. They said I hung out with you ladies and Shaggy too much."

"Hmph." Snorted Daphne, grabbing another handful of popcorn to munch in angry silence. Not wanting to interrupt his story, but not terribly happy that the 'guys' had thought that way.

"Yeah. Well… All the guys were hiding from their various girl friends, and wives and apparently needed the therapeutic properties of a good football game. And asked me to come along. And well, with Velma asleep, and you visiting Jewel, I figured I would take them up on it for once." Fred said with a shrug, eating another piece of chicken as he continued.

"Mmm, these are good. Anyways… I headed over to Eric's house and most of the guys had already come over and were gathering for the game they had recorded. Shaggy and Scooby would have loved the spread, it was quite a collection of snack foods and things that were either greasy or barbequed." Fred commented with a chuckle.

"But something was missing." He said with a deep sigh, as he thought about it. "It… Didn't feel right. And I didn't really know why at the time."

"What was wrong Fred?" Velma asked a bit worried, though she knew it wasn't something life ending at least. Since he was right there and would have not been in such a happy mood if something had happened.

"Well, honestly it wasn't as much fun without you guys." Fred admitted honestly.

"Awww… Freddie." Daphne gushed, giving him a half hug from where she was sitting. Mostly hugging one his arms that she could reach. "That's so sweet."

"Heh, well it's true. I missed watching the game with you guys. Jake, Eric and all them… They are nice to hang out with, but when watching the game, it isn't right without you guys. I mean… I could actually eat food there!" Fred laughed, waving at the food they were eating at the time.

"Well, those two goofs do like eating." Velma mused, giving in to a small giggle. "And nothing safe when it's put on display like people do for those kinds of gatherings."

"You're not kidding." Daphne snorted, though she smiled at the same time. She was used to using her elbows as deterrents, but she still wasn't skilled enough to block both sides yet. But she was getting better.

"And no one knows the plays as well as you do Velma." Fred added, always amazed at how accurate Velma could be with sports. All she needed was the wind speed, and right camera angle and she could tell where most throws, kicks and passes would end up. But it was those freak anomalies that happened with human interaction that kept Velma watching. For those moments when all the math adds up, but the result is something she never thought possible.

Though the comment earned a blush from the genius, as she buried her face behind a forkful of noodles.

"Hehe. Velma's blushing." Daphne said aloud, making the other woman hide more.

"And you Daph… Let's not forget about you."

"What about me? My amazing skill to color coordinate my attire to match the team colors?" Daphne looked over at Fred, trying to guess what he missed about her.

"Actually, I missed how much you yell at the TV when your favorite team is playing." Fred admitted from behind a piece of chicken, which earned a snicker from Velma.

"What? Really?" Daphne was caught off guard at the comment. Not that she could argue against it. When her team wasn't doing well, or when they were… She got _vocal_. And even though the people would never hear her words through the TV, it never stopped her from telling them to catch the ball better, or run faster than that! With gusto!

"Even with the guys combined, they couldn't match up to Daph here. It didn't feel as much fun with the guys half heartily rooting for their teams. And when the game was in a commercial or something, all the guys talked about was their ladies and how much they were happy to be away from them. And as much as I tried to offer suggestions to help them to straighten things out, they wanted to be stubborn and not talk things out with them." Fred said with a sigh.

"Not everyone likes to discuss things when there is conflict." Velma told Fred, who shook his head.

"I mean, Harry was arguing with his wife about taking out the trash… That's so stupid. Why couldn't they just talk it out like normal people?" Fred spoke, exasperated at his friend. Not that he was always jumping to take out the trash himself, but he knew it had to happen. And he did it when it was his turn. Because the gang had discussed who should have which chore, and when. And that worked! Why was it so hard to explain things to each other till you figured out a workable solution? Like any problem that needed to be solved, you just had to sit down and figure out your options.

"Like a good trap, you need to see all the angles and figure it out accordingly." Which earned giggles from the two ladies.

"Fred, no everyone thinks that way." Velma responded, with Daphne quickly adding to her comment.

"Especially the trap part!" Daphne snickered, giving her head a shake. But then again, they were hardly normal. Four friends living in a house together, with a talking Dane, which solve mysteries for a living. Yep, perfectly normal.

Fred was about to say something when they heard something. There was a **thump** as something just hit up against the back kitchen door. Actually… Two something's.

"… Is that like'… Popcorn I smell?"


	4. Coming Home

Plastered against the back kitchen door, Shaggy and Scooby were pressing themselves against the glass. They had smelled the popcorn as they came around the back, and moved quickly to get at the door. But in their rush, Scooby hadn't stopped fast enough and slammed into Shaggy as he tried to get the door open, and pressed them both against the window.

"… Is that like… Popcorn I smell?"

* * *

><p>~Several hours before~<p>

Four bodies leaned over the finished letter, making sure to read over the various pieces just in case they forgot something, and had to fix it. The gang wanted to let Velma know where they had all headed off to, so she didn't worry if she woke up and no one was around. (It had been Scooby, who had found her sleeping in the basement, and he had told everyone else not to bother her.)

Plucking the letter up in his hand, it was Shaggy who took charge of putting the letter somewhere where she would notice. Scooby was at his heels, ready to offer any help to his buddy if he would need it. Strolling down the hallway, Shaggy paused at Velma's bedroom door to consider his options. Looking Scooby's way, he tilted his head off to one side and gave the Dane a grin.

"Like' what do you think? Shall we leave it for Velma on her desk? Or maybe like' on her bed? Where do you think she'll see it, Scoob?"

Raising himself up on his haunches, Scooby placed a paw to his chin to think it over. Trying to think of what Velma would do when she got up. And always the ham, he quickly moved to act it out, as if he was the snoozing Velma. Leaning on an imaginary desk, he pantomimed Velma getting up. With a yawn and a stretch, he squinted his eyes to mimic her nearsightedness. Patting around on the imaginary desk, he sought out his figment glasses. Hand reacting to something, he brought his two paws up to his face, making two small circles to look through as if they were glasses frames.

Shaggy watched in amusement as Scooby continued his charade, walking about and copying many of Velma's signature poses and postures. He acted all the way up the imaginary basement stairs, and to her bedroom. It was only then, that Scooby paused from his actions.

"...So what do you think?"

With his finger glasses in place, Scooby looked around before pointing at the door.

"R'there!"

Turning on his heel, Shaggy considered the Dane's suggestion. To place the letter right on her door, around eye level for her to find it? (Though it was a good few inches down from his own, since he was taller than the younger woman.) And he couldn't find a reason not to place it there... So why not? It seemed like a Velma-logical place to put it, even though it was just Scooby pretending to be the young genius.

Fishing the scotch tape from his pocket, he fiddled with it till he had been able to get a piece long enough to keep the note secure on the door. Pasting it to the wood, the duo considered the positioning before nodding in agreement. Happy where it sat, Shaggy and Scooby got themselves ready for their walk. Since they had just finished eating their mid-midday lunch, they wanted to take a stroll while their stomachs digested all the yummy food. Plus they had a package to drop off, so they needed to get that done as well. Might as well get two things done at once, if they could.

"Come on, old buddy old pal! Let's get going!"

* * *

><p>With the package tucked under one arm, Shaggy waved from the front stoop, as Daphne took off down the street. She was going to be walking, since the meeting place was a local food joint they frequented often enough. It was a waste for her to take her car, when she could save the gas by walking. Though as he waved, Shaggy and Scooby both wished they could follow, since it was always fun to hang out with Daphne... and it was food. Food was always good! But, they had places to go and had eaten already… plus they hadn't been invited, which was the clincher. So they couldn't go with her. They just had to make plans for a next time though... Next time.<p>

"You guys heading out too?" Speaking up from behind them, Shaggy turned to see Fred close the front door behind him. Smiling down at the two from the stairs, as he tossed his keys in the air and caught it.

"Yeah, got to drop this off." Shaggy said, patting the package under his arm, before shooting a grin towards his other buddy. Well, one of the human ones.

"Hey, where you going to? Want me to drop you guys off on the way? I could do that, since I'm not in a rush to get to get over there. The game isn't going anywhere. The beauty of having it recorded, and able to be played back when ever." Fred offered, not knowing how far they needed to travel, and didn't want to stiff them a ride. Since he was taking the van and had to leave anyway.

"Nah, but like' Thanks Fred! Have fun with the guys."

"Rah rah! R'ave fun!" Scooby echoed Shaggy, giving Fred a paw wave before looking up at Shaggy excitedly. He always was up for a walk! Especially taking a walk with his best buddy. What could be better than that?

"Heh, alright. Safe walk then!" Fred said, before he turned and headed towards the van. Fred felt a little disappointed about not having the company, but he understood that they liked to walk. Though as much as he was looking forward to seeing the guys, Fred also thought it would be fun to go walking with Shaggy and Scooby. But then again, he always could go for a walk; the invitation to hang out with the guys was a rare occasion. So with a sigh, Fred hopped into the van and got ready to go.

Seeing Fred off, it was finally their turn to leave. With Scooby clipped to a leash, they started towards their destination.

They had long promised the young boys, Thomas and Daniel, that he would bring over his copy of Twister for them to practice on. And since everyone was going to be busy, today had turned out to be the perfect time to bring it to them. As much as they loved the game, the rest of the gang had put a temporary ban on the duo till they learned to control themselves.

"You put like' one foot and paw through a TV… and they ban you from the game for a while." Shaggy sighed, though he could understand their point of view.

"R'it was r'a rice R'v." Scooby pointed out, still feeling bad for the incident.

"…Yeah, it was a nice TV. Thankfully Fred remembered to get the extended warranty on it." Shaggy had be willing to pay for it, but it ended not to be necessary. "We'll just have to be more careful, eh buddy?"

"Rah rah!" Scooby agreed whole heartily, tail happily wagging behind him. No sense of dwelling over a fixed, broken TV. They would just have to be more careful, later on. At least enough to watch where their lanky limbs tended to head and cause problems.

Changing the subject, the two conversed about something and nothing at all as they wandered the streets of Coolsville on their way to the boy's house. Even though they both had long strides, the pair had no real rush to get where they were going, and managed to stop and smell the roses/fire hydrants on the way…

…Well, Shaggy and Scooby both smelled the roses, but only Scooby went for the Hydrants.

"Hey Shaggy! Scooby! What are you two doing away from your kitchen?" Walking down the opposite way the two had been traveling, they ran into an older looking gentleman in a postal worker uniform and bag over one shoulder. He waved, flagging down the duo and gave them a smile as they got closer.

"Oh, Hi Wally!" Shaggy beamed as he greeted their usual Postman, walking his beat as always. And they had just been lucky enough to catch him while he was working. "Like' just had mid-midday lunch and going for our walk."

Trotting forward, Scooby moved to wash the man's hands with greeting kisses; not wanting to knock him over just in case there could be a box of Scooby Snacks in his bag for him. He had learned his lesson, and didn't plan to make that mistake again. Though with the snack being crushed, really didn't take away from its flavor… just its balance for being thrown or tossed for a mid-air game of catch.

"Hiya Scooby." Walter the postman said, as he gave the affectionate dog a scratch behind his ear. Ever since he had befriended Scooby, all the rest of the dogs had been lectured into not bothering him on his route. (Not that he really had too much trouble in the first place.) But he appreciated the gesture anyway, and made sure to pet and scratch Scooby whenever he got the chance as a sign of thanks. It certain made his job easier, when he didn't need to worry about things like that.

"Well, I can't stay long. Got to get back on my route. Tell the rest of the gang I say hi. And I'll see you guys next time I have some mail." Patting Shaggy on the shoulder as he passed, he gave them a wave as he continued on his way. Shaggy had wished that Wally could have stayed a bit longer, since he didn't get to many opportunities to chat with his favorite Mailman. But they both understood that he had a job to do, and they could always say hi again later.

"Come on Scoob, we're almost to their house. Let's get the lead out!"

* * *

><p>"...aw."<p>

The drop off went quicker than they had planned, since Shaggy and Scooby just caught the brothers as they were on their way out with their parents. Short greetings were passed around, but they had to go to a relative's house and couldn't stay to chat. But the boys were eager to take the party game with them, excited to have another game to play with their cousins and get in some well needed practice.

So again, the two were left on the curb waving, as a car drove off.

"Looks like one of those days, eh Scoob?" Shaggy said sighing, but not letting it get him too down. Stuff happened, and he would always have time later to see them.

"Rah rah... The r'park row?" Nodding his head, Scooby's attention didn't dwell long and moved on to the next thing. They still had their walk, and he wanted to get to it. Giving the leash a tug from his end, he pulled Shaggy into a walk.

"You're right buddy; we'll see them another time. Let's go have fun at the park!" Pulling Shaggy out of his small funk, it never really lasted too long for the beatnik anyway. Since Shaggy always looked on the bright side of everything.

Thankfully the park wasn't too far away from the boys' house. And as usual, the green grass and open spaces were a comforting sight to the duo.

"R'ome ron Raggy…" Giving an excited bark, Scooby tugged on the leash as he was eager to get further in to play. There were so many rocks to sniff, and sticks to chase. And there was only just so much daylight for it. So the bouncy Dane wanted to get going, before someone else beat him to it.

* * *

><p>Shaggy watched Scooby run off and play with some other dogs, but for some reason couldn't shake the feeling he was missing something. And the more he watched Scooby play with other people, it finally hit him.<p>

He missed the gang!

He really wanted them here, to enjoy the sun and grass along with him and Scooby. And with everyone else hanging out together, he really wanted his buddies there too. He had wanted to join Daphne to go to the restaurant, he had wanted to with Fred to the football game, and he had even wanted to just stay home and be there when Velma woke up. Just so he could hang out and talk with her. Sure, he was with Scooby, but he thought that his buddy probably felt the same way, and would have enjoyed the day even more had the gang been there with them.

"Hey Scoob, let's head home!" He called out, getting the Dane's attention. Barking a doggy farewell, he crossed the field and tackled Shaggy. Washing his face for a bit, he only gave up after Shaggy made sure to scritch him a few times.

"Hahaha, come on like' Scoob. I think it's about time to head back. I am starting to get hungry, and someone should be back by now. If not, we could always make something so good, that the smell will wake Velma up. If she isn't up already!"

"Rah rah! Rummy! Ret's go!" Bark Scooby, pulling Shaggy to his feet with the pull of the clipped on collar.

* * *

><p>"...And that's why we came home."<p>

Hand shoved into the popcorn bag, Shaggy had moved in and settled on one of the beanbags that had been brought up to join the ones that Velma and Daphne had dragged upstairs to the kitchen. Unable to fit all five of them, Fred had gone to retrieve more bags so they would make their little powwow more comfortable.

"Awwwww." Chimed up from the rest of the group, enjoying the little story Shaggy told them. And the feeling was mutual. It seemed just like one of those days, it's best to just kick back and chill with your buddies.

"... Want to head back to Carlos' place? We should be able to make it for the dinner menu before it closes!" Daphne offered, still in the mood to have some more… especially since her leftovers had been devoured as they had been talking. That and she was in desperate need for refill of her Root beer!

"It would be nice for all us to have fun going out together! Maybe we can convince Fred to look into some nice hot bMmmmm!"

Jumping to cut Daphne off, Velma shot her a glare of death as she smothered that comment from getting out of the woman's mouth.

"Yes yes... let's head out and get going!" Pulling Daphne by the mouth, she tugged the red head to her feet. Hiding her back to the guys, she shot several unhappy glances and small head shakes to emphasize that Daphne wanted to make sure she didn't finish that sentence.

"What was that about?" Shaggy leaned towards Fred, who only shrugged in response.

"Come on guys, hurry up or we'll leave you behind!" Joked Daphne, who had finally been released. "Last one to the restaurant... pays!"

Daphne shouted, ripping open the hallway door, fighting Velma to be the first one out. Laughing, the two guys struggled to get out of the bean bags to give chase, while Scooby flew off the floor and quickly caught up to the ladies who were struggling to get their shoes on to leave. Scooby didn't really understand about the whole being last is the one who pays, all he knew was his people were off and running. And no one ran as well as he did!

Coming out of the hallway, Fred and Shaggy were tossing a few rounds of rock paper scissor, before Shaggy lost and offered to pay. Since it wasn't really fair in a foot race between the two, and the ladies already had a head start. Placing a hand around Fred, Shaggy nodded towards the open door.

"Come on, before we get left behind!"


End file.
